Convertible car.



G. J. W. OLASEN.

CONVERTIBLE GAR.

APPLICATION TILED urns, 1911.

1,025,609, Patented May 7, 191 .2.

COLUMBIA PLANOURAPM CQJVASHINGTON. D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLAUS J. WERNER CLASEN, 0F DAVENPORT, IOWA, ASSIGNOR 'IO BETTENDORF AXLE COMPANY, OF BETTENDORF, IOWA, A CORPORATION OF IOWA.

CONVERTIBLE CAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 3, 1911.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CLAus J. WERNER CLASEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Davenport, in the county of Scott and State of Iowa, have invented new and useful Improvements in Convertible Cars, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in convertible cars and particularly to the car for which application for Letters Patent of the United States was filed October 26, 1910, Serial No. 589,096, in behalf of William P. Bettendorf, deceased.

The object of this invention is to provide simple and economically constructed means that will enable the operator, when converting the car from a box-car to a dump-car, to incline the floor-sections by raising the front ends thereof quickly and easily and without the aid of a skilled mechanic. This I accomplish by the means hereinafter fully described and as particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of one end of a convertible car, showing a portion in elevation. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary horizontal section of one corner of the car taken on line 22, Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary end elevation of the lower portion of a corner of the car.

Referring to the drawings, A, represents the side-sills and B the end-sill of the car to which my improvements are to be applied. These sills are, preferably, made of rolled metal forms, and the ends of the side-sills are connected to the ends of the end-sills by castings each comprising vertical bearings C and plates 0, c, projecting horizontally therefrom at right angles to each other; one of said plates lapping against and secured by rivets or otherwise to the side of one of said sills, and the other plate to the side of the other sill. The axis of these hearings is slightly outside the intersection of the planes of the sides and ends of the car, and the upper portion of the cylindrical bosses in which said bearings are made, are reduced to form a seat for the lower ends of a combined tubular casing and corner post D. This post consists, preferably, of a suitable length of channel beam, the web of which is bent transversely to form a near-tube until the outer surfaces of the flanges cl, d, are at right angles to each other. These flanges when in this relative position, are separated a suitable distance apart, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, and are secured to the outer marginal surfaces of the adjacent vertical edges of the end-wall and side-walls ofthe car. The upper ends of corner posts D, are plugged up by a metal head E, that has a vertical extension arising therefrom to which an end carline 01;. end-plate, e,.is secured.

A vertical screw-threaded shaft F, has its lower end reduced and journaled in bearings C, and its. upper end also reduced and journaled. in suitable hearings in the head E, and the lower half of its length between its hearings is screw-threaded, as shown. Movably mounted on and engaging the screw-threaded portion of said shaft F, is a traveler Gr, that comprises a nut that engages the shaft, and an arm 9, projecting therefrom that extends out through the vertical open-way or slot between the flanged edges of the post D, and. the vertical edges of the end and sidewall of the car.

The arm 9, is provided with a laterally disposed open bearing h, for the reception and accommodation of the adjacent journal or projecting end of the filler H, of the tubular end edge of the floor-section I, of the car. These floor-sections are, preferably, constructed the same as illustrated and described in the aforesaid application, towit :-ofplate metal of suitable rectangular area, reinforced both at its end edges and bet-ween the same to prevent its buckling. When these floor-sections rest upon the underframe or floor-frame of the car ina horizontal position, they form part of the floor of a box car or the equivalent thereof, and when their end edges next the ends of the car are raised, they assume an inclined position, which sheds toward the center of the car and form the end portions of the bottom of a dump-car.

It will be understood that the construction of both corners of the same end of the car are constructed in the manner hereinbefore described, and that each of said corners is provided with a corresponding vertical screw-threaded shaft F, with a traveler G, mounted thereon in the same horizontal plane. Thus, when said shafts are simultaneously revolved at the same speed, they cause the travelers to move up or down, ac-

cording to the direction said shafts are revolving, always in the same horizontal plane, and lift or lower the adjacent edge of the floor-section I, as the case may be, according to the desire of the operator.

In order to simultaneously revolve shafts F, their lower ends are extended below the bearings C, and have a miter gear j, secured thereto which is engaged by a corresponding miter gear is, securely mounted on a transverse shaft K. This shaft is journaled in hangers m, secured to and depending from the end-sill of the car, and one end extends beyond miter gear 76, and squared so as to permit of the boss of a suitable shank to be slipped over the same when it is desired to turn it.

What I claim as new is:

V 1. A car comprising inclinable floor-sections in the ends. thereof, and revoluble means the axes of which are vertically disposed in the ends of said car that directly engage and raise the adjacent transverse edges of said sect-ions.

2. A car comprising inclinable floor-sections in the ends thereof, vertical tubular posts at the corners of the car, and vertically movable means housed within said posts that engage and raise or lower the adjacent transverse edges of said sections.

3. A car comprising inclinable floor-sec tions in the ends thereof, and corresponding vertical tubular posts situated in each corner of the car, and revoluble means whose axes are vertical that raise and lower the adj acent transverse edges of said sections.

4. A car comprising vertical tubular corners having vertically elongated ways open to the interior of the car, inclinable floorsections in theends of the same, and means movable vertically in said tubular corners and adapted to engage and raise and lower the adjacent edges of said floor-sections.

5. A car comprising vertical tubular corners having vertically elongated ways open to the interior of the car, inclinable floorsections in the ends of the same, having lateral projections at their corners adjacent to the tubular corners of the ear, and means movable verticallyin said tubular corners that are provided with arms extending out through said ways that have bearings for the lateral projections of said floor-section.

6. A car comprising vertical tubular corners having vertically elongated ways open to the interior of the car, inclinable floorsections in the ends of the same having projections at their corners next the tubular corners of the car, and suitably constructedmeans movable vertically in said tubular corners that are engaged by the corner projections of the floor-sections.

7 A car comprising vertical tubular corners having vertically elongated Ways open to the interior of the car, inclinable floorsections in the ends of the same having their end edges next the end of the car made tubular, a suitable filler for said tubular edges, the ends of which project beyond the ends of said tubular edge, and means movable vertically in said tubular corners that are provided with arms extending out through said ways that have bearings for the ends of said filler.

8. A car comprising vertical tubular corners having vertically elongated ways open to the interior of the car, inclinable fioorsections in the ends of the same, vertical screw-threaded shafts in said tubular corners, means for operating the same, and movable travelers mounted on said shafts that engage the adjacent edge of said floorsection and are adapted to raise and lower the same.

9. A car having end and side-walls, and comprising inclinable floor-sections in the ends thereof, a screw-threaded shaft whose axis is vertical located adjacent to said sections, a movable traveler mounted thereon adapted to directly engage and raise or lower the contiguous edge of the floor-section, and means for turning said shafts.

10. A car having end and side-walls, and comprising screw-threaded shafts whose axes are vertical located in each corner of said car, inclinable floor-sections in the ends thereof, and vertically movable travelers mounted on said shafts and adapted to directly engage and raise or lower the adjacent edge of said sections.

11. A car having end and side-walls, and comprising vertical screw-threaded shafts in each corner of the same, inclinable floor-sections in the ends of the car, and having their transverse edges adjacent to said shafts made tubular, fillers for said tubular edges, the ends of which extend beyond the ends of the tubular edge, and travelers movable vertically on said shaft adapted to provide bearings for the ends of said fillers.

12. A car having end and side-walls and comprising vertical screw-threaded shafts in each corner of the same, the lower ends of which extend below their bearings, means engaging and adapted to turn the same, inclinable floor-sections in the ends of the car, and having their transverse edges adjacent to said shafts made tubular, fillers for said tubular edges, the ends of which extend beyond the ends of the tubular edge, and travelers movable vertically on said shaft adapted to provide bearings for the ends of said fillers.

13. A car having end and side-walls and comprising vertical screw-threaded shafts in each corner of the same, the lower ends of which extend below their bearings, a transverse shaft journaled below said screwthreaded shafts, miter gears connecting said transverse and screw-threaded shafts, in-

clinable floor-sections in the ends of the car,

and having their transverse edges adjacent to said shafts made tubular, fillers for said tubular edges, the ends of Which extend beyond the ends of the tubular edge, and travelers movable vertically on said shaft adapted to provide bearings for the ends of said fillers.

14. A car comprising vertical tubular corthereof, a transverse shaft, miter gears connecting the lower ends of said screwthreaded shafts and said transverse shaft, travelers mounted and vertically movable on said screw-threaded shafts, and having arms that reach out through said Ways and engage and raise and lower the adjacent end edges of said floor-sections.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 29th day of December 1910.

G. J. WERNER GLASEN.

Witnesses:

A. B. FRENIER, HENRY BELLINGHAUSEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

